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ORONTO (AP) - The Canadian government on Thursday denied refugee status to former U.S. Army paratrooper Jeremy Hinzman, a major blow to a handful of U.S. military deserters who have fled to Canada rather than fight in Iraq or Afghanistan. The decision could affect at least eight - and possibly dozens more - American soldiers seeking refuge in Canada, yet help improve strained relations between Washington and Ottawa.

WASHINGTON - Congressional Republicans denied on Sunday that political motivations were behind legislative efforts to reconnect Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. "I hope we're not ... making this human tragedy a political issue," said Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz. "We've got plenty of other issues that are political in nature for us to fight about." Leaders of both parties agreed Saturday on legislation that they said would allow Schiavo's feeding tube, which was disconnected Friday afternoon, to be reinserted while federal courts review her case. The bill, "for the relief of the parents of Theresa Marie Schiavo," gives...

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - An embattled professor who set off a firestorm with an essay comparing some Sept. 11 victims to a notorious Nazi refuted allegations Wednesday he plagiarized another professor's work and physically threatened her. The allegations arose during negotiations between Ward Churchill and the University of Colorado over a buyout of his contract in the wake of his controversial essay resurfacing in January. Talks broke down Friday after the Rocky Mountain News reported that a professor at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia accused Churchill of plagiarizing her work and threatening her. Churchill flatly denied plagiarizing anyone's work and...

LIMA, Peru (AP) - Responding to a growing scandal, Peru's president went on national television to deny that he and his family forged signatures to register his political party. President Alejandro Toledo appeared on Channel 5's Sunday night news program, Panorama, after a congressional commission delayed interviewing him about the alleged fraud. "In Peru Possible, no signature forging factory ever existed," Toledo said. "There is a factory of lies that seeks to distract the president from doing his job, but the people are disgusted by it and the president is sick of the dirty political game. "I'm not going to...

On the way to freedom, Niger's slaves stuck in limbo 7,000 slaves in Niger were set to be freed last Saturday - until the government denied slavery even existed there. By Mike Pflanz and Georgina Cranston, Contributors to The Christian Science Monitor Thu Mar 10, 9:33 AM ET NAIROBI, KENYA, AND TILLABERI, NIGER - More than 7,000 slaves owned by Arissal Ag Amdague, a Tuareg tribal chief, were due to be released at a desert ceremony last Saturday in the village of In Atès, 175 miles northwest of Niger's capital, Niamey. A new law that came into effect last year...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi authorities on Saturday disputed reports that 15 headless bodies were found south of Baghdad earlier in the week. But Iraqi Defense Ministry and army officials who were the original sources for the reports insisted - when contacted again on Saturday - that the decapitated bodies had, in fact, been found. The Government Communications Directorate's Media Relations office said in an English-language announcement that "official sources in the ministries of Defense, Interior and Health deny the news that some of mass media reported regarding finding 15 bodies beheaded in Latifiya." An official in the Media Relations...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A California appeals court on Tuesday denied an effort by Christian activists to prevent a law that will grant same-sex couples nearly all the rights and responsibilities as marriage from taking effect on Jan. 1. The California Court of Appeal for the Third District rejected the groups' request for an emergency stay, but is allowing the legal challenges to the law itself to move forward. The groups, the Campaign for California Families and the Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund, are appealing a September ruling by a Superior Court judge in Sacramento that held that the...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A federal judge has allowed the county to continue with its plans to close the trauma center at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center by denying a temporary restraining order sought by doctors and residents. The motion by Friends of King/Drew argued that the court needed to intervene immediately so community members would not be deprived of emergency medical services. The court filing rejected Thursday is part of a civil rights lawsuit alleging that closing the trauma unit would have a disproportionate affect South Los Angeles residents. Health department officials have said they need to close...

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Vietnam has prohibited an outspoken U.S. Congresswoman from visiting the communist country, saying a trip "would not serve Vietnam-U.S. relations," officials said Friday. Rep. Loretta Sanchez from Santa Ana, California, was told in a letter sent via the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi that her visa application was rejected because she "altogether lacks objectivity and goodwill toward Vietnam," according to a statement from her office. "The Vietnamese National Assembly and Vietnamese public opinion share the view that a visit to Vietnam by Ms. Loretta Sanchez would not serve Vietnam-U.S. relations," according to a reprinted version of the...

World's Smartest Woman Denies She is on the Dole in Bulgaria Lifestyle: 14 November 2004, Sunday. The Bulgarian woman, who made headlines after being pronounced the world's cleverest by the country's Mensa office, denied reports she has spent two years without a job in Bulgaria. Daniela Simidchieva, a qualified industrial engineer with a mind-boggling IQ of 200 and five masters degrees, said she was looking for a job to correspond with her qualification and skills. The reports are not true and could discredit me, Daniela told local Trud Daily, commenting reports that she is struggling to find gainful employment, "even...

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Moving to quell tensions with the United States, the head of the U.N nuclear watchdog agency said Friday his recent comments on the invasion of Iraq were misinterpreted, and he had a "close working relationship" with the American administration. "It's unfortunate that people try to put the wrong spin on a very important issue," Mohamed ElBaradei told The Associated Press, alluding to what he said was adverse U.S. reaction to his Thursday speech at Stanford University. At the school, ElBaradei said the Iraq experience demonstrated "that we need to exercise maximum restraint before resorting to military...

It's as if Bill Gates were to say he doesn't spend much time on the computer, or that Daniel Snyder actually prefers bridge to football. The head of the nation's largest collection of television stations insists that he rarely watches the shows his stations air, including parts of the anti-John Kerry documentary that brought so much controversy to his doorstep over the past two weeks. In a rare, wide-ranging and sometimes feisty and combative interview on Friday, David D. Smith, chief executive of Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., said he has been mischaracterized as a Republican activist who has attempted to...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Secretary of State Kevin Shelley said he was "shocked and mystified" by reports that $205,000 contributed to his 2002 campaign may have violated state or federal laws. Even though he wasn't familiar with the donors, Shelley said he didn't have any reason to be suspicious of the contributions because they were raised by his friend, Julie Lee, a San Francisco real estate broker and a leader in the city's Chinese American community. "I didn't ask, because I trusted Julie Lee," Shelley said Wednesday during an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. "It is not uncommon for...

John Kerry calls for the death of Freedom of Speech John Kerry calls on "Unfit for Commmand" publishers Regenry to stop publishing and distributing the book, which charges Kerry lied and distorted the facts while serving in Vietnam in order to gain medals and a quick trip home. Additional calls by Kerry to the various big-name retail book outlets have also been made, where he has asked that the book be 'pulled from the shelves' and removed. No such call for a ban or removal was issued by John Kerry for Michael Moore's movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" which is deeply...

Iraq's premier denies claims that he executed six prisoners BY Damien McElroy in Baghdad (Filed: 18/07/2004) Ayad Allawi, Iraq's prime minister, has dismissed allegations that he killed six prisoners in cold blood just days before assuming power from the American-led coalition last month. An Australian newspaper reported claims that Dr Allawi had pulled a pistol from his belt to shoot a group of blindfolded and shackled insurgents who had been lined up against the wall of a police station in Baghdad. Mr Allawi dismisses the claims The story in the Sydney Morning Herald, based on the unsubstantiated claims of two...

Iran denies abducting sailors and Marines By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor (Filed: 02/07/2004) Iran has dismissed British accusations that Revolutionary Guards effectively abducted eight British servicemen on the Iraqi side of the Shatt al-Arab waterway last week. Its foreign ministry expressed "surprise" at a statement by Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, that the six Royal Marines and two Royal Navy sailors had been "operating inside the Iraqi border and were forcibly escorted into Iranian territorial waters". Hamid Reza Asefi, a ministry spokesman, said the British charge d'affaires in Teheran had "signed a letter confirming that they entered Iranian territorial...

As San Jose Councilman Terry Gregory forcefully denied wrongdoing in a conflict-of-interest scandal, the case against him intensified Thursday with new allegations that he received baseball tickets from a major property owner in his district and accepted several free meals from two developers. And, in a sign that the escalating controversy may be hindering Gregory's ability to do his job, City Attorney Rick Doyle recommended that Gregory recuse himself from one vote scheduled for Tuesday -- and that another vote be delayed -- because of a potential conflict of interest involving the council member and the developers, Robert Emami and...

The Washington Post, in a story first released on its Web site Saturday night, said a military lawyer stated at an open hearing April 2 that Capt. Donald J. Reese told him that Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez and other senior military officers were aware of the abuse at the prison.

Italy denies paying ransom for hostages April 23 2004 at 02:24PM Rome - Italy denied on Friday that a multi-million euro ransom had been paid to Iraqi kidnappers to obtain the release of the three surviving Italian hostages being held in the country. "It's an absolutely baseless story," Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said, following Italian newspaper reports that a €9-million (about R72-million) ransom had been paid to the kidnappers. The daily Corriere della Sera said the ransom had already been paid, citing Italian intelligence souces in Iraq. The newspaper said intelligence agents were convinced the Italians were still alive, and...

During his private interview with the 9/11 Commission on Thursday, ex-President Bill Clinton denied that he told a New York business group in 2002 that he turned down an offer from Sudan for Osama bin Laden's extradition to the U.S., according to 9/11 Commissioner Bob Kerrey. "Bill Clinton said yesterday that, that was a misquote," Kerrey told WDAY Fargo, North Dakota radio host Scott Hennen, in an interview set for broadcast on Monday. A transcript of the exchange between Hennen and Kerrey was read on the air by national radio host Sean Hannity late Friday. It shows that the 9/11...

Nigeria denies nuclear bomb bid By Robin Gedye, Foreign Affairs Writer and Ahmed Rashid in Lahore (Filed: 05/03/2004) Nigeria denied yesterday that it had discussed getting nuclear technology from Pakistan. It dismissed as a "typographical error" a statement by its defence ministry that it had done so. The scramble to apologise and Pakistan's assurances of a "baseless story and conspiracy to hurt our name" failed to calm alarm that Nigeria was possibly trying to create an atomic bomb. The ministry's late night communique was clear. Gen Muhammad Aziz Khan, chairman of Pakistan's joint chiefs of staff, had told Nigerian officials...

In a stark about-face, Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry is now denying that he ever accused U.S. soldiers of committing war crimes in Vietnam, despite amply documented comments - some televised, others delivered while under oath - where he did exactly that. Asked on Thursday whether he had accused his fellow soldiers of committing war crimes in Vietnam during his April 1971 testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry told CNN's Judy Woodruff: "No, I was accusing American leaders of abandoning the troops. And if you read what I said, it is very clearly an indictment of leadership. I...

N Korea denies nuclear disclosures North Korea said it had shown its "nuclear deterrent" to a US team North Korea has denied an admission by Pakistan's top nuclear scientist that he sold nuclear weapons technology to the Communist state. A statement by a foreign ministry spokesman described the claim as "false propaganda" spread by the US, the state-run KCNA news agency said. The spokesman said the "US smear campaign" justified Pyongyang's moves to build a "nuclear deterrent force". It was North Korea's first official response to the Pakistani disclosures. The denial comes before new talks between US, China, Japan, Russia...

Nasa denies 'sexing up' mars images US space scientists have defended themselves against allegations that they tampered with images of Mars. The claim is that Nasa experts "tweaked" pictures sent back by the two Mars rovers to make it redder. A more extreme version of the conspiracy theory says Nasa doctored the colours to hide evidence of life, such as green patches, New Scientist magazine reported. The claims arise because of the strange appearance of certain colours seen on the rover spacecraft. Nasa said this was due to the photos being taken through green, blue and infrared - rather than...

Syria Denies Weapons Received Before War Sunday January 25, 2004 11:31 PM DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syria on Sunday denied claims that it received weapons of mass destruction from Iraq shortly before the United States and its allies invaded. An article in London's Sunday Telegraph quoted David Kay, the outgoing leader of a U.S. weapons search team in Iraq, as saying that part of Iraq's secret weapons program had been hidden in Syria. But in an interview aired later Sunday on National Public Radio, Kay said it is difficult to determine whether shipments to Syria included weapons, in part because...

Spy mystery at Guantanamo Bay as Syria denies link to accused US air force worker By Rupert Cornwell in Washington 25 September 2003 Syria has flatly denied having links with the US Air Force translator at the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention camp, who has been charged with trying to hand secret information about the base to the Damascus government. In the first public comment of the case, Ahmad al-Hassan, the Syrian Information Minister, called the reports "baseless and illogical" yesterday, adding: "Would the CIA fail to find a translator it trusts and had previously trained for a job of such...

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) today denied reports that she and her husband are the agents behind retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark's presidential candidacy, reiterated that she will not run for the White House in 2004 and said the reelection of President Bush would be "an overwhelming setback for this country." Speaking at a breakfast with reporters, the former first lady denied the rampant speculation, particularly in Republican circles, that she and former President Bill Clinton had encouraged Clark to run, partly as a stalking horse for a 2004 candidacy of her own, calling such talk "an absurd feat of...

Russia's foreign ministry says it has denied a visa to the Dalai Lama. In a statement, the ministry says that while the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader is a respected figure in Russia, the Kremlin is required to consider Russia's national interests when considering the possibility of a visit. The ministry's statement says Russia was taking into account China's negative view of the Dalai Lama's political activities. This is the third time Russia's foreign ministry has refused to allow the Dalai Lama to enter the country. Last month, the head of Russia's mostly Buddhist Kalmykia republic invited the Dalai Lama to...

Russia Denies Selling Weapons to Iraq #-24-2003, 5 minutes ago By JIM HEINTZ, Associated Press Writer MOSCOW - Russian officials hotly denied U.S. accusations that Moscow had broken U.N. sanctions by selling sensitive military equipment to Iraq (news - web sites), including anti-tank guided missiles, night-vision goggles and jamming devices. "We did not send any goods, including military ones, that violated the sanctions," Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told reporters. "No fact supporting the Americans' anxiety has been found." This is not the first time Moscow has been accused of leaking sensitive technology to U.S. enemies in spite of pledges to...

<p>MOSCOW,Russia denied Monday that it had sold sensitive military equipment -- including GPS jammers that could throw U.S. bombs and aircraft off course -- to Iraq in violation of U.N. sanction.</p> <p>Other items reportedly included anti-tank guided missiles and night-vision goggles.</p>

U.S. Denies Report of Security Guarantee to N. Korea WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday denied a report that it has proposed giving North Korea a written security guarantee in a letter from President Bush (news - web sites) to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. "There is no credibility to that story. That story is false," White House National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack said of the report by Japan's Kyodo news agency. Kyodo quoted a senior U.S. official. Earlier, Bush made a conciliatory overture to Pyongyang, offering to revive a program to give North Korea food and...

US denies snubbing Prince By Caroline Davies (Filed: 30/12/2002) Reports that the Prince of Wales has abandoned an official visit to the United States because the White House fears he is privately against war with Iraq were denied by his office yesterday. Senior aides at St James's Palace dismissed the claims, saying there were "no firm plans for the Prince to go to the US". A Sunday newspaper reported that aides to President George W Bush had indicated that any visit by the Prince would be deemed "very unhelpful". The Prince's outspoken support of Islam was cited as one reason,...

Wednesday, 18 December, 2002, 16:54 GMT Afghan leader denies al-Qaeda report More co-operation and information sharing needed: UN Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has contradicted suggestions that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network has set up new training camps in eastern Afghanistan. There are no large-scale training camps of al-Qaeda or terrorists in Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai Mr Karzai, commenting on a UN report that al-Qaeda had activated training camps in the east of the country, said he was "certain there are no large-scale camps in Afghanistan." However, President Karzai told reporters in the Swedish capital Stockholm on Wednesday that there were...

Palestinian Professor Denies Ties to Militants Thu Aug 22, 3:18 PM ET By Robert Green TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - A Palestinian professor on Thursday denied allegations by the University of South Florida that he had ties to Islamic militant groups and said he would fight to keep his job at the school. "I'm an Arab, I'm Palestinian, I'm a Muslim. That's not a popular thing to be these days," professor Sami Al-Arian said at a news conference. University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft said on Wednesday she wanted to fire Al-Arian because the university had evidence of his activities...

<p>SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Gray Davis has denied parole for a woman who paid to have her husband killed after allegedly suffering years in an abusive marriage.</p> <p>The decision marks the 109th time Davis has opposed parole for a convicted murderer. He has only allowed parole for two convicted murderers since he has been governor - both times involved women who claimed to have been beaten by their husbands.</p>